The American billionaire and business executive Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on May 21, 2025. (Credit: Jim Watson/AFP)
BEIRUT — Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO, SpaceX CEO, X CEO and the world's richest man, told President Joseph Aoun he's interested in seeing his companies operate in Lebanon, Aoun's office said in a statement released Thursday.
"President Joseph Aoun received a phone call Thursday afternoon from Elon Musk who expressed his interest in Lebanon and its telecommunications and internet sector," the presidency revealed in a post on X.
Musk reportedly also expressed the desire to "see his companies present in Lebanon," a proposal which Aoun "welcomed."
The president "assured he would facilitate procedures as much as possible, within the framework of existing Lebanese laws and regulations," the post reads.
Musk was a favorite of U.S. President Donald Trump in the early days of his most recent term in office, promising to save the government two trillion dollars by cutting federal spending. However, Trump and Musk had a widely publicized blow out earlier this month, in which the two billionaires had heated exchanges over social media, essentially signalling the end of the partnership.
During their phone call Thursday, Aoun took the opportunity to invite Musk to Beirut, who in turn thanked him and promised to do so at the first opportunity.
Starting late May, discussions have accelerated between Lebanese officials and the satellite internet service company Starlink, owned by Musk's SpaceX. The proposal has been to integrate Lebanon into the international telecommunications provider, already deployed in 136 countries.
The director of licensing and development for this company, Sam Turner, has already met with Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Telecoms Ministers Charles Hage and Economy Minister Amer Bsat, who even "committed to helping [Starlink] set up its operations in Lebanon efficiently and quickly," according to a message posted on X.
